Introductory it as Subject

The 'annoy' and 'please' group

These verbs indicate how a situation makes someone feel. The noun group always indicates a human being.

This is a productive use and occurs occasionally with a large number of verbs indicating the emotional effect of something, such as alarm, anger, awe, baffle, bemuse, confuse, depress, enrage, fascinate, frustrate, horrify, intrigue, offend, puzzle, stagger, and upset. The verbs listed below are those for which this pattern is frequent.

This may not be blinding science but it amuses me that it was not obvious at the beginning.

It annoyed me that I didn't have time to do more ironing, but I will get it done.

It concerned her that Bess was developing a giant crush on Max; the kind of crush that could easily blind her to the real person.

It frightens me that kids are now walking around with guns.

It infuriated her that they should suddenly have become the target of malice.

In a dormitory I saw a notice: 'It pleases God that children should be respectful to their elders.'

It puzzles me that people are willing to pay any taxes at all to this Government.

It saddens me that almost all my anxieties have been confirmed. I wish I had been proved wrong.

Does it surprise you that the polls are showing currently that this initiative will be approved by the voters?